Death Wish
by Shadow'sIllusionist
Summary: What did Arkham wish for at the moment of his death? Revenge, of course.


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Author's Notes: Nothing much to say. Just read and enjoy. Like most fanfiction writers, I'm desperate for reviews so please feel free to drop a comment.

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With the natural stealth of a predator, Lady trained her gun around the room, surveying it for any signs of demonic activity. Content that nothing was going to ambush her, the devil huntress sighed and lowered her gun but didn't holster it. Experience had taught her to always keep a weapon in hand. The second it took to draw a gun could mean the difference between life, and a certainly painful death.

Lady has been through this room before. Three times to be exact. She'd examined the whole house from top to bottom and found nothing. Maybe it really was all just paranoia. Considering the bloody history of this place, it was hardly surprising.

A couple of hours ago, Lady had taken up a job in some nameless town near the countryside. The caller had been the local mayor. According to him, an old abandoned building in town has been drawing a lot of attention lately.

The scene of a brutal sacrificial murder fifteen years ago, many claim it's haunted by ghosts and demons. The house was supposedly abandoned, but recently, people have reported seeing strange shadows flicker across the windows. This new development has been fuelling rumours and superstitions. Citizens have grown uneasy and many are considering moving away.

Lady usually didn't bother with hauntings but the man had sounded so desperate and frantic that she really did feel sorry for the guy. It must be hard to run a town like this.

Being offered a reward of five grand wasn't great motivation either but nevertheless, the raven-haired demon slayer had hopped on her bike and arrived at the scene half an hour later.

On the inside, the house looked like it belonged in a cheesy horror flick. Everything was practically antique and caked with dust. Faded gray curtains spanned the windows while the walls were dotted with creepy portraits and oil paintings. Cabinets were stacked with fine porcelain china. This place clearly hadn't seen the light of the twenty-first century.

"_Whoever lived here had horrible tastes,"_ thought Lady.

Lady combed through the house room by room three times and had come up fruitless. There hadn't been as much as a mouse in the whole place let alone spirits and demons. She decided to give the house one more quick-over before leaving. The musty air was doing nothing for her complexion.

The huntress passed through the kitchen, guns raised. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Next, Lady crept through what had once been a richly decorated living room. The floorboards toward the back bore a darkened crimson stain. Evidently, this was the room where the ritual murder had taken place.

Lady moved ahead to the back where a large circular mirror hung on the wall, dried blood coated its edges and some of the reflective surface where it must have splattered. The demon slayer couldn't repress a shudder.

Turning to leave, something caught the corner of her eye and Lady swiveled to faced the mirror again. Was it possible? It couldn't be. Had she imagined it? Most likely.

Directing the gun at the looking glass, Lady waited. Almost immediately, something took effect, proving that what she saw was no hallucination. Her reflection swirled and became hazy, as though a fog had descended in the mirror. Lady gave a startled cry. Soon nothing was left except for her bicoloured eyes which glowed eerily as they stared back at Lady with a new, dangerous glint.

So there _was_ something supernatural going on in this house. It was hardly shocking, really. The mirror had clearly played a part in the murder ceremony and had Lady been paying closer attention, she would've noticed that it was soaked with demonic energy.

A new face appeared in the reflection, although it displayed the same eyes. Like her face, the new likeness was immediately recognizable. Death had not altered it, save for the new bloodlust that glinted in the bicoloured gaze.

Old hatred and fear flooded Lady and her hands shook as they gripped the handles of her guns.

"_Mary…" _came the hideously familiar rasp.

Lady took a desperate step back as her dead father's shape climbed out of the mirror.

"_It's been a while, Mary…"_

"No… NO! You're dead!" shrieked Lady "You can't be here! Because I—"

"_Because you killed me yourself?" _Arkham gave a sinister chuckle. _"Silly girl. Yes. I am dead. Killed by you that night on top of Temen-ni-Gru. I was close…so close to becoming a god!" _His voice shook with such potent rage that it drew a flinch from the normally composed Lady. Then suddenly, his voice became strangely calm. _"There is still work to be done. Come, Mary…" _He began to stride toward his daughter with a becoming hand.

"Stay away from me you monster!" The demon huntress opened fire on the apparition, emptying the clips of both guns right away. However, all the bullets passed right through the spectre and either embedded themselves in the back wall or went sailing through the darkened void of the mirror. When the blast of the final shot died down, Arkham laughed and only edged closer.

"_Oh no, Mary. Is that any way to greet your dear papa? I thought I'd taught you better manners," _scolded Arkham. He continued forward until he had her backed against a wall. Lady, meanwhile, was still clicking uselessly at her empty guns, forgetting to reload or that it would be useless either way. The dead man frowned and flicked her weapons away with his hands which were solid upon contact.

"_You should throw away those toys, Mary. They are not the weapons of a true warrior."_

"Why are you here?" demanded Lady through gritted teeth. "I killed you! You should be rotting in hell right now!" Another chuckle came as her reply.

"_Indeed, I _was_ 'rotting' in hell, and still would be, if not for you, dear girl. Your presence here has allowed me to escape the confines of the underworld." _A pause. _"You do not know what the purpose of that mirror is, do you?"_

Lady glared in answer. _"As I thought. Let me tell you, it is more than simply a wall ornament. That mirror has become a gateway, whether it's a door to the other side of the world, or even to hell itself. Anywhere is possible now that its full power has been awakened. However, a door can open both ways, Mary. As soon as I sensed your presence on the other side, a connection was established. That is because you are my blood descendant."_

"What do you want," spat Lady. She dreaded the answer.

"_Revenge." _

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More Author's Notes: Lol. Yes, I know the cliffhanger is quite expected. However, I needed something to work with so cut me some slack! Originally, this was meant to be a one-shot since I don't like the idea of dragging out a story too long. As I was typing this though, I sort of got bored and thought it was becoming a bit long. Soooo, in the end, it's going to be a two-shot (most likely). The next chapter should be up eventually :)


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